


One Agent Short

by oofmilk



Category: Splatoon
Genre: F/F, Gen, We’ll eventually get to the M4rie content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-05-30 21:56:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15105662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oofmilk/pseuds/oofmilk
Summary: Just when things are getting to be peaceful in Inkopolis, DJ Octavio’s escaped for the third time. With Agent 4 gone, it’s up to Callie and Marie to save her.





	1. How Embarrassing

**Author's Note:**

> Just an fyi, my Agent 4’s name is Sidney.

Sidney collapsed onto the Squid Sisters’ couch almost as soon as Callie opened the apartment door.

”Why don’t you take off your shoes and stay a while?” Marie deadpanned.

”Har-har, Marie,” Sidney said, rolling her eyes. “With how often I’m over, you might as well marry me.”

Marie blushed green and turned away.

”Y-Yeah, well, maybe you should spend more time at your own apartment then!” she retorted.

”Aww, but your apartment is closer to both Octo Canyon and Grizzco! I don’t wanna walk that far!”

”Then super jump.”

”So!” Callie interrupted the two before they could spring into a full-out argument. “Is anyone up for hot dogs?”

”I’m going to shower first, but yeah,” Marie said. The idol then walked to her room.

Callie collected two plates of hot dogs for both her and Sidney. 

“Hey, Sid, do you want a drink?” Callie asked.

”Do you have an Dr. Kelp?” Sidney asked.

”Uhh... I think... oh, yeah!” Callie exclaimed, holding up her prize.

Callie grabbed their food and drinks and joined Sidney in the living room. Callie opened her drink as Sidney turned on the TV, switching the channel to Inkopolis news. 

“Y’all know what time it is!” Pearl exclaimed.

”It’s Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE from Inkopolis Square!” Marina said.

”Y’know, I thought it was really obvious that Marina was an Octoling,” Sidney commented.

Callie cast her a sideways glance. “How so?”

”Look at her eyes and tentacles. They look nothing like Pearl’s.”

Callie nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

They sat in silence until Pearl announced the ranked battle mode.

”Ah yeah! I can’t wait to ink some splatzones!” the idol said.

”I bet she wants to ink Marina’s splatzone,” Sidney said.

Callie nearly choked on her hot dog. She managed to swallow it before laughing.

”I bet you want to ink Marie’s—“

”Hey, would you look at that! Grizzco’s hiring!” Sidney interrupted.

Callie rolled her eyes. “Do you have any games on your phone?”

”What are you, four?” Sidney said. “And don’t you have games on your phone?”

”I can’t. Marie said something about me not paying attention during meetings or rehearsals.”

Sidney sighed and tossed her phone to Callie. “Go nuts.”

She opened the phone and was about to click on a puzzle game when the photo icon caught her eye. She glanced at Sidney, who was now watching some sort of cop show, before opening the app.

Some of the photos were from Octo Canyon, while others were saved memes or Squidchats. Half of them, though, were pictures of Sidney and Marie.

”Geez, Sid, do I need to warn Marie?” Callie asked playfully.

Sidney tore her eyes from the TV to look at Callie. “What’re you— Hey!” She jumped at Callie, but Callie held her back with her foot. “Give me my phone back, Callie!”

Callie turned into a squid and ducked away from Sidney. She turned back into a kid behind the couch. “Only if you can catch me!” She closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue.

When she opened her eyes again, Sidney was dive tackling her to the floor.

”Ah! Woomy!” Callie shouted.

Sidney sat on Callie’s stomach and pinned down her arm that held her phone. Callie flicked her wrist and sent the phone over to her other hand.

”Dammit, Callie!” Sidney yelled. 

Before Sidney could move, Callie arched her back slightly and slid the phone under her.

”What’s the matter?” Callie asked when she saw Sidney’s face. “Don’t you want your phone back?”

”I’m beginning to regret defending you during your last Splatfest.”

Sidney pinned Callie’s other wrist so she couldn’t do anything. This left Callie with nothing to do but flail her legs.

”Hey! No fair!” she whined. “You’re sitting on me _and_ you have my hands pinned!”

”You took my phone!” Sidney shot back.

”What’s... going on here...?” Marie asked.

Sidney looked up to see Marie wearing black leggings and a windcrusher. Callie started talking immediately.

”We definitely were not making out!” Callie said. “I wouldn’t do that to you!”

”What...?” Marie asked.

” _Callie!_ ” Sidney hissed. “Callie took my phone and won’t give it back.”

”Well, where is it?” Marie asked.

Sidney blushed lightly. “Under her back...”

Marie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, everyone up.”

Sidney got off of Callie and leaned against the back of the couch. Callie tossed Sidney her phone as she got up. Sidney took the opportunity to flip Callie off.

”Hey, save that finger for when you and Marie—“

Sidney took a pillow from the couch and threw it at Callie’s face. “Shut up!”

”Okay... well... I’m going to go talk to Sheldon. He wants help recounting the data you got from Octo Canyon, Sid. I’ll be back soon,” Marie said. She slid on her flip-flops, picked up her E-Liter, and left the apartment.

”Oh no, there goes your beloved,” Callie said in a dramatic voice. “Quick, chase after her before she is gone for good! Gone to the man she loves!”

Sidney rolled her eyes. “That’s not funny, Callie.” She paused for a moment. “She doesn’t actually love Sheldon, right?”

”Nah. Marie’s totally gay,” Callie said. All of the emotion left her face a second later. “Shit was I supposed to say that?”

Sidney didn’t bother trying to fight back her blush as she sat back on the couch. Callie hopped over the back and joined her a second later. The two agents went back to watching the cop show.

A low rumbling shook the building.

”Earthquake!” Callie shouted.

”Don’t be dumb, Callie!” Sidney shouted over the rumbling. “There hasn’t been an earthquake since humans walked on Earth!”

The roof to the apartment building was torn off seconds later to reveal DJ Octavio floating above them in his DJ booth.

”Which one of you is Agent 4?” he boomed.

Callie lamely raised a hand. “It’s me. I’m Agent 4. The one you kidnapped. Yup. That’s me.”

”I’m Agent 4!” Sidney said. “And I’ll send you back to your snow globe!”

DJ Octavio thrust one of his tentacles down into the apartment and grabbed Sidney.

”Sidney!” Callie shouted. Her eyes quickly scanned the area for a weapon, and she spotted her roller. That wouldn’t do any good! And of course, Marie took her E-Liter with her.

”Sidney, where are your dualies?!” Callie shouted. 

“We were in Octo Canyon today, remember?! Those dualies don’t belong to me! I gave them back to Sheldon when we left!”

Callie groaned.

”Let go of me you over sized piece of sushi!” Sidney yelled.

”Gya ha ha!” DJ Octavio laughed. “If you ever want to see your precious Agent 4 alive again, then you can expect your first instruction from me in one hour!”

After that, DJ Octavio flew off with a swearing Sidney in tentacle.

”Holy shit...” Callie whispered. She picked up her roller, put on her shoes, and dashed out the door. “I’ve gotta find Marie.”


	2. Time Waits for No Squid

Callie ran to the nearest super jump pad and jumped to Ammo Knights. She threw open the doors and hopped the counter in one fluid motion. Callie ran into the back and grabbed Marie’s shoulders.

”Marie! Oh my god!” the idol exclaimed. ”So Sidney and I just wanted to watch a cop show—“

”Callie.”

”—and then suddenly the _roof_ was torn off the building!”

”Wait what?”

”And— Oh carp I don’t think I locked the door and —“

” _Callie!_ ”

Callie stopped talking abruptly and looked at her cousin.

”I need you to _calmly_ explain to me what happened.”

And so, Callie explained to Marie exactly what happened after she left (leaving out the part where she told Sidney Marie was gay).

Marie looked at Sheldon, who nodded at her. The cousins left Ammo Knights and walked to the grate that lead to Octo Canyon. They slipped through and went into Cuttlefish Cabin.

”I thought Sidney always carried a weapon on her?” Marie mumbled.

”The dualies she had belonged to Sheldon, remember? We were here all day, and she was using the Hero Dualies,” Callie said.

Marie sighed. “What do we do? Knowing DJ Octavio, his ‘instructions’ aren’t just going to be ‘Oh hey I’d like a squid ring, please!’”

Callie shrugged. “Maybe if we knew how he was going to send them, we could find out where they’re _coming_ from.”

Marie snorted. “What,” she said, “are they coming by carrier pigeon?”

”No, the birds don’t nest this far into Inkopolis...” Callie said. “But if he wanted to reach us quickly...”

Suddenly Callie leapt up. “I’ve got it! He’s going to send them using some sort of technology!”

”Congratulations, you’ve successfully integrated yourself into the 24th century. It’s almost like I send you information via technology every single day,” Marie said sarcastically.

”Look, I know you like Sidney and you’re super worried about her, but I need you to work with me here,” Callie said flatly.

”Wha— How did you—“

” _Anyway_ , if we can hack into our devices somehow and access where he’s sending his instructions from, then we can track him down!”

”We’ll need the whole Squidbeak Splatoon for that. Where are Gramps and the other agents?” Marie asked.

”Agent 8 actually received a distress signal to her CQ-80 from another CQ-80 in the Metro. Gramps and Agent 3 went with her to see if they could find the source of the signal. So they aren’t an option,” Callie said.

Marie groaned and brought a pillow up to her face. “Where are we going to find someone that’s good at hacking on such short notice?!”

Slowly, both idols looked each other in the eyes. “Marina.”

”Okay,” Marie said, “say this works and we can get Marina to help us out. What do we do afterwards? We can’t take on DJ Octavio and his minions all on our own!”

”Maybe Pearl and Marina will be open to helping us. They could be Agents 5 and 6,” Callie suggested.

There was an awkward silence between the two before Marie spoke again. “Cal, what if this _doesn’t_ work? What if Sidney’s really gone?”

”I... I don’t know, Marie,” Callie said. “From what I remember, the kettles are dark and cold, and there was a lot of mental, emotional, and physical violence going on. I just hope... I just hope that wherever Sidney is, the same isn’t happening to her.”

With that, Callie walked to the door of Cuttlefish Cabin. “I’ll go find Marina,” she said. “You stay here in case DJ Octavio’s dumb enough to show up.”

”Be quick,” Marie said. “After all, time waits for no squid.”


	3. Unfamiliar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agent 4 wakes up in a place that isn’t quite familiar to her.

Sidney slowly opened her eyes and sat up. A shot of panic and anxiety leaped up her back when she realized she was in a cell and not the Squid Sisters’ apartment. Then all of the memories of her kidnap rose to the surface.

She quickly patted herself down for her phone and was pleasantly surprised to find it in an inside pocket of her jacket. Sidney opened it and was about to open the messages app when the “No Service” icon caught her eye. She sighed and pocketed her phone again.

Sidney had no clue when she passed out, and she had no clue what happened to her after that. She began to inspect herself for any injuries.

Sidney noticed light stitching going across the base of her neck. She could feel something hard and rectangular in her neck.

”What the hell...?” Sidney mumbled.

Footsteps interrupted her thoughts. She turned into a squid and slipped under the makeshift bed in the cell. A brainwashed Octoling opened the solid steel door.

”Oh Agent 4, where are you?” the Octoling asked. “DJ Octavio would like to see you!”

Sidney flung herself at the Octoling, turning into kid form mid-jump. However, the Octoling extracted a remote from their pocket and pressed a button. A harsh shock ran through Sidney’s entire body, and she collapsed at the Octoling’s feet.

”Tsk, tsk. We couldn’t be having any of that, so our scientists implemented a shocker of sorts into your neck,” the Octoling explained. “Now you’ll walk with me nicely, or I’ll shock you so bad I’ll have to carry you. Your choice.”

Sidney pushed herself to her feet and trudged behind the Octoling. She just now realized her hands and ankles were cuffed.

”Please, just take off the goggles. You’ll be so much happier,” Sidney pleaded. “I know squids that can help you have a better life in Inkopolis.”

The Octoling pressed the remote for the shocker, and Sidney stumbled.

”Hush, prisoner,” the Octoling commanded. “Only speak when spoken to.”

Sidney looked in the other cells at the other prisoners. Some of them were other species, such as a few unfortunate jellies, but the majority seemed to be Octarians. One Octoling that looked a surprising amount like Agent 8 spooked her. She was far too skinny, and her eyes were empty.

”I just want to die...” the Octoling whispered.

Sidney nearly burst into tears from the state of these poor cephalopods. However, she kept the tears sealed behind her eyes, not wanting another shock.

The brainwashed Octoling stopped abruptly, causing Sidney to trip on her.

”Watch you step,” the Octoling hissed.

Sidney flinched back, expecting a shock. When she didn’t receive one, she blushed. “I’m sorry...”

”Now, when we enter the throne room, you are to be polite and respectful to our king,” the Octoling commanded.

Sidney nodded. The last thing she wanted to do was piss off the king of the enemies.

The Octoling threw open the doors and lead Sidney inside. She bowed upon reaching DJ Octavio’s throne.

”Your majesty,” Sidney spit out bitterly.

”Hello, Agent 4,” Octavio said. “Now, you must be wondering why you’re here.”

”Right now I’m wondering where the hell I am!” Sidney shouted. The Octoling shocked her.

 _So much for not pissing off Octavio_ , Sidney thought.

Octavio grumbled something under his breath. “I will not tell you where you are. For all I know, you have some chip implanted in you that allows you to talk to the Squidbeak Splatoon.”

Even though he was evil, Sidney had to commend his thinking. “Then why am I here?”

”I am going to turn you against the Squidbeak Splatoon.”

”Real original,” Sidney said. She snorted. “If you wanted to turn me against the Splatoon, then why didn’t you take me and Callie? You know, something about numbers.”

The Octoling sent Sidney a shock, and when Sidney glared at her, the Octoling sent her another.

”My plan only works with one inkling, and you are far stronger than Callie ever was,” Octavio said.

 _Maybe I can get him to tell me his plan..._ Sidney thought.

“But first,” Octavio began, “you must bend to my will.”

”I’ll never do that!” Sidney said. “You can sanitize me all you want! It won’t work!”

To her surprise, Octavio nodded. “You are, unfortunately, correct. After the... situation... with Agent 3, I decided that sanitization was best left for the Octarians.”

The Octoling walked over to DJ Octavio and handed him the remote. Octavio touched her shoulder with his tentacle, and she left the room.

”I can, however, do this.”

DJ Octavio turned the dial on the remote up. He then pressed the button.

The pain Sidney experienced was like nothing she had ever felt before. She fell to her knees immediately, clutching and scratching at the back of her neck, nearly choking herself with the handcuff’s chain. Sidney screamed so loud she thought her lungs would burst.

”Gya ha ha,” Octavio laughed. “I can do this all night, Inkling.”

Sidney forced herself to look at the DJ.

”I’ll ne... never let you hurt... the... the Splatoon,” Sidney said in between breaths. 

“Oh,” Octavio said, “you will.”

He turned the dial up more. Sidney fell onto her side and began to cry. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Spots danced across her vision.

”You’ll... never... get away... with this...” Sidney choked out. Every word caused her more pain.

Her muscles began to stiffen, and Sidney’s fingers were covered in blood when she pulled them away from her neck.

”Now look what you’ve done. You’ve opened the scientists’ perfectly good stitching,” Octavio said.

Sidney slowly passed out to the sound of Octavio’s laughter. 


	4. Agents 5 and 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callie recruits Pearl and Marina to be agents 5 and 6, and the first instruction from Octavio arrives.

As soon as Callie’s feet touched the ground in Inkopolis Square, she rushed to the nearest super jump pad and jumped to Off the Hook’s apartment complex. Callie took the stairs two at a time and practically banged on their apartment door.

”I’ll be right there!” Marina said from inside.

Marina could barely open the door before Callie was talking.

”I need to talk to you about something important, can I come in?” she said.

Marina was stunned for a moment before coming to her senses and letting the idol in. She closed the door behind her and lead Callie to the living room.

Pearl turned off the TV and sat up so she could listen. Callie explained what happened to Sidney, her plan to track down Octavio, and their enrollment into the Squidbeak Splatoon.

Once she was done talking, Callie looked at the pair expectantly. “Well...?”

”I’ll do it!” Pearl said. “If Octavio thinks he can get away with kidnapping one of us, then he’s dead wrong! What about you, Marina?”

Marina stayed quiet for a moment before nodding. “I’ll do it, but it feels weird. For so long, I followed his every order, and now I’ll be more or less directly fighting him.”

Callie placed a hand on Marina’s shoulder. “I know this all sounds really freaky to you, but I promise you that you’re doing the right thing.”

Callie stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips. “Now then, Agents 5 and 6, we have to get back to Octo Canyon!”

Marina nodded and picked up her laptop, placing it into her backpack. She placed her Undercover Brella in one of the side holders on the bag. Pearl grabbed her Splat Dualies, and together the trio left the apartment.

They super jumped to Ammo Knights, and Callie lead them to the Octo Canyon grate.

”You two should go first. This grate will take you directly to Octo Canyon, and once you get there, you’ll need to step off so I can get through, got it?”

Pearl and Marina nodded. Pearl went first, turning into a squid and falling into the grate. Marina went next, and Callie followed her.

When Callie reached Octo Canyon, she pulled herself out of the grate and brushed any stray ink off of her.

”You two wait here, I’ll go get Marie,” Callie said.

Callie walked to Cuttlefish Cabin and went in. Marie was sitting at the small table, face-first in a book about Octarian history.

”Gee, Mar, I knew you liked Sidney, but learning about the entirety of the Octarians’ history to get her back? That’s hardcore.”

Marie startled and head-butted the book. She groaned and rubbed her forehead, putting a bookmark in the book and setting it down.

”Relax, we’ll get your girl back,” Callie said. Marie blushed.

”Did you get Marina to help us?” she asked.

”I did, and her and Pearl are now Agents 5 and 6. Pearl’s 5 and Marina’s 6.”

Marie stood up and walked to the door. “Then let’s go say hello to our new agents, yeah?”

The idols walked out to address Pearl and Marina. 

“Yo!” Pearl said.

”Hi, Marie.”

”Thank you so much for helping us out. And thank you again for joining the Squidbeak Splatoon. We just need— Callie!” Marie said. She turned to her cousin. “How long has it been since Sidney went missing?”

”I dunno. Roughly 55 minutes, why do you— Oh. Oh!” Callie said. She pulled out her phone and opened it.

”What? What is it?” Pearl asked.

”We’re supposed to be getting our first instruction from Octavio in five minutes!” Marie said. “Marina, get your laptop ready!”

Marina took her laptop out of her bag and logged on. She plugged a USB cable into the side, and everyone waited quietly.

A hologram began to appear on Marie’s phone, and she plugged it into the USB cable. Pearl moved out of sight of the hologram, pulling Marina with her.

Once the hologram was finished forming, DJ Octavio began to speak.

”Well hello Agents 1 and 2. What a pleasure to see you,” he said.

Marie could see Marina furiously typing away in her peripheral vision.

”What do you want from us?” Marie asked. 

“Aw, look how willing you are to comply when someone you _actually_ care about is in danger,” Octavio said.

Callie tensed up beside Marie, and Marie took her cousin’s hand in reassurance.

”I care about Callie and you know it,” Marie said. “Just tell us what you want.”

“I want you to tell Crusty Sean to close his food truck. Indefinitely.”

No one said a word for a minute.

”...What?” Callie asked.

”You heard me.”

”We can’t just tell Sean to close his food truck!” Marie said. “All of the Inklings, and the Octolings that are here, get their food and drinks from him!”

”Would this be able to change your mind?” Octavio said.

He reached a tentacle out of the view of the hologram, and he yanked something back into frame. Marie gasped.

”Sidney!”

The Inkling in question could barely stand. She was shaking yet stiff at the same time.

”What did you do to her?!” Callie demanded.

”Oh, not much. Although, it was pretty _shocking_.”

”You _monster_!” Marie yelled. “When I find you, I’ll tear you limb from limb from limb!”

Pearl and Marina’s eyes widened in surprise. They had no clue Marie could be this hostile.

”Don’t...” Sidney began. “Don’t... come... for me... He’s... he’s going... to turn me... against... the Splatoon...”

”Now now, Agent 4, the adults are talking. I think you need to learn how to hold your tongue...”

Octavio took out a remote, and Marie nearly burst into tears when she saw Sidney flinch and curl in on herself.

”No! NO! I’LL STOP! NOT AGAIN!” she screamed.

Marie started to cry. Octavio pressed the button, and Sidney screamed louder. Marie turned to Callie and cried into her shoulder.

”I think I’m gonna be sick...” Callie whispered.

”You get one hour to complete my request, or Sidney will be hurt a lot worse than this...”

Then the hologram disappeared, taking Sidney’s screaming with it.


	5. Back to Basics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A set of coordinates sends the Splatoon back to a place a little too familiar.

Callie turned to Marie almost immediately and pulled her cousin into a tight hug. Callie noticed that Pearl had slid closer to Marina once Octavio was visible.

”Is that what they did to you?” Marie asked. “Is that... did they do that to you, too?”

”No! No, they didn’t,” Callie answered quickly. “They didn’t shock me like that.”

”I hate to interrupt, but I’ve got something you might want to look at,” Marina said.

Callie and Marie walked over to Marina and looked at her laptop screen.

”I won’t waste time telling you all the technical stuff I did, but I basically ran some tests and got back a set of coordinates,” Marina said. “I plugged those coordinates into a map application, and this place called Octo Valley came up. Do either of you know where that is?”

Callie and Marie just looked at each other for a few moments. They hadn’t seen Octo Valley in a year.

”We do,” Marie said. “You can get to it from Inkopolis Plaza.”

”Inkopolis Plaza?” Pearl asked. “Didn’t that place go under after your last Splatfest?”

”Pearlie!”

”Whaaat? It’s a valid question!”

”It did, but there were other things that factored in,” Marie said. “If those coordinates are right... we need to go back.”

”What?” Callie asked. “Mar, we don’t even know if the metro still runs out to Inkopolis Plaza! That place is a ghost town!”

”Then I’ll walk if I have to!” Marie shot back. “I’d dive into the coddamn sea if it meant we could save Sidney!”

Callie sighed before looking at Off the Hook. 

“Can you two possibly come with us?” she asked.

”I’d have to talk to our manager first,” Marina said. “While I do that, you and Marie should go talk to Sean.”

Callie nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

In no time, Pearl and Marina were packed up and had left Octo Canyon. Callie placed a hand on Marie’s shoulder.

”We should change into our agent clothes so we don’t get recognized in the square,” she said.

Marie nodded and followed Callie into Cuttlefish Cabin. Callie was quick to change into her clothes, and she left Marie alone to change.

Marie put on her shorts and jacket, pulling on her boots afterwards. Her face mask was left dangling from one ear as she looked for her hat.

Marie found it underneath a blanket, and it was almost on her head when another hat caught her eye. She picked it up.

Something in Marie’s hearts hurt when she realized it was Sidney’s favorite hat, her Takoroka Mesh. Marie could still remember how excited she was on the day she bought it. Sidney had run into the Squid Sisters’ apartment with it proudly sat atop her head.

Marie dropped her hat on the floor and put on Sidney’s instead. It made the idol feel better knowing that Sidney’s favorite hat was safe with her. She left the cabin and met up with Callie, who shot her a large smile at the sight of the hat.

”What was Sidney’s hat doing in Cuttlefish Cabin, Marie?” she asked playfully.

”She accidentally left it in there last week when the whole Splatoon got together!” Marie shot back.

The duo picked up their weapons. Callie rolled her eyes with a smile and dove through the grate. Marie was close behind.

The undercover idols walked to Crusty Sean’s food truck. They were lucky that all of the cephalopods were competing in the most recent Splatfest.

”What can I get you two squiddos?” Sean asked.

”Sean, it’s us,” Callie said.

”Well I’ll be darned. What’re the Squid Sisters doing at my humble food truck?” Sean asked.

”Unfortunately, it’s no good news for you,” Marie said. “Look, Sean, we need a _huge_ favor.”

”Anything for you two,” Sean said.

”Well, something personal is going on, and for some reason, you got wrapped up in a piece of it,” Callie said. “And the cephalopod we’re dealing with wants you to close your food truck indefinitely.”

Sean nodded slowly. “Done.”

”What?” the idols asked in unison.

”If it’s personal enough to you that _I’m_ somehow involved, then I better do what this cephalopod says before someone gets hurt,” Sean explained.

”Thank you so much, Sean!” Callie said.

Marie glanced at the news station to see Pearl and Marina leaving. 

“We have to go, Cal.”

”Okay, see you Sean! And sorry about this!” Callie shouted as the two darted for Off the Hook.

”Pearl! Marina!” Callie yelled out. “Wait up!”

”Who are you two?” Pearl asked.

”It’s Callie and Marie. We were just talking to you,” Marie said. “Are our disguises that good?”

”Maybe,” Pearl said. “I was just... testing you.”

Marie rolled her eyes.

”Where’s the metro station?” Marina asked, bringing everyone back to the current topic.

”Down this alleyway,” Marie said, leading the group.

”So how did you two get out of the news?” Callie asked.

”We had prerecorded all the stage announcements for this Splatfest, and Mr. Grizz has told us that he was closed for the week. He said something about the police. It was easy, if I’m being honest,” Marina explained.

The group turned a corner and walked down the stairs to the metro station. They walked up to the ticket booth.

”Four tickets to Inkopolis Plaza please,” Marie said.

The Inkling in the booth stared at them. “You do realize...”

”Yes,” Marie said, “we’re aware.”

The inkling sighed and printed their tickets. Marie paid him and they walked through the turnstile.

A few fans stopped Pearl and Marina and asked for pictures, but other than them, the metro was mostly empty. Callie sat down on a bench and sighed. She set her roller on the ground and stretched.

”Marina, do you have a specific location in Octo Valley?” Callie asked. “The Valley’s pretty big.”

”Once we get there I’ll be able to narrow it down, but I can’t tell from here,” Marina said.

Just then the train rolled to a stop in the station. The group waited for the doors to open and the other riders to step off before getting on the train themselves. They walked to a corner and sat down.

Marina pulled her legs up onto her seat and got her laptop out. She began to type on it. Callie and Pearl got wrapped up in a conversation about something Marie had no interest in. This left Marie to zone out and stare out the window at the metro walls. Their weapons were either in their laps or on the seats.

Marie groaned after a while and put her head in her hands. If she hadn’t left the apartment... maybe, just maybe Sidney would be safe. Callie knows how to use her E-Liter, she could have just left it there!

Callie noticed her cousin’s mood and put a hand on her shoulder, offering a comforting smile. Marie smiled back and readjusted her E-Liter so it was touching the floor.

”Next stop: Inkopolis Plaza,” the intercom said.

The group stood up and crowded near the door. The train slowed to a stop and let them out. The station was empty save for one Inkling in the ticket booth reading a book. The inkling waved lamely before going back to his book.

The group walked up the steps to the plaza and stopped.

”We’re really here,” Pearl said.

”This place looks worse than I thought it would be,” Marie admitted.

”Hey, at least we’re back,” Callie said.

”If only we were here on good business,” Marie said with a sigh. “Okay, let’s get to Octo Valley.”

The group followed Marie to the grate Cap’n Cuttlefish hid in not so long ago, hoping they weren’t already too late.


End file.
